German broadcaster suspends Chinese worker

[Zsari]

German broadcaster suspends Chinese worker

A Chinese woman working at Germany's DW-Radio has been suspended from her job following remarks she made in the media on human rights and other issues in China, the German press has reported.

Four days before the opening of the Beijing Olympics, Zhang Danhong, an editor with the German broadcaster's Chinese program, reportedly said that "The Communist Party of China has more than any political force in the world implemented Article 3 of the Declaration of Human Rights", referring to the Chinese authorities pulling more than 400 million people out of poverty.

Similarly, in a TV talk show in late July, Zhang reportedly said the Chinese government had done a lot to protect local culture in Tibet and criticized German Chancellor Angela Merkel for sapping relations with Beijing.

The German media is said to have reacted strongly to Zhang's remarks.

On Aug 11, German magazine Focus attacked Zhang as someone who was "courting" China's Communist Party. On Aug 20, the Berliner Zeitung newspaper quoted parliamentary representative Dieter Wiefelsputz as saying that Zhang's performance was a "catastrophe".

Two days later, the same newspaper confirmed Zhang's suspension from work.

Zhang, 42, was born in Beijing, studied German in Peking University and in Cologne, Germany.

She became an editor of DW-Radio's Chinese program in 1990 and was promoted deputy editorial director of the program in 2004, the broadcaster's website read.

Many in China have voiced sympathy and concern for Zhang after the incident.

"The case proves that those who chant human rights and freedom of speech everyday in the West are so hypocritical," a Chinese netizen wrote on major Chinese portal, Sina.com .

"The Cold War mentality, ideological biases, political prejudice, and sense of racial superiority these things are deeply rooted in some parts of the Western world Luckily, China is not bothered by these," wrote another netizen.

"I have noticed related information and I have read the reports Zhang had done," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said yesterday.

"We hold that the media should report under an objective and just principle."

Zhang and DW-Radio were not available for comment at press time.

[Zsari]

Doing a google search, one noticed that only Chinese media reported this. No other media has pickup the story.

[MajorMalfunction]

So much for freedom of speech in the west...LOL

[MajorMalfunction]

Just confirms what I known for a long time the western media is biased...especially for those who don't tow the US propaganda ...

[Mirolyuba]

Ha!

An amoral careerist tries to misuse her employment as a base to propagate CCP propaganda and win friends in the party.

DW is not an apologist or propaganda centre for the CCP.

She failed in her duty of objectivity as a journalist and started acting as a propaganda cheerleader for what most Germans (having an intimate knowledge of such things) rightly consider a corrupt and abusive regime.

She is not a journalist.

She should spin propaganda for the CCP criminals in her new job at "China Daily"!

Why should this be reported in the West?

Besides,the headline would be too long:

"Chinese "Journalist" Shows Herself to be an Incompetent Stooge and Wannabe for the CCP Propaganda Department"

Ha!

[dissident77]

actually there is german media which reported it.
but it wasnt easy to find... it's maybe not scandalous enough :P

2 newspapers started a campaign against her... making it appear as if she was a speaker for the CCP. while she actually did pretty good work the last few years, it seems.
good enough to represent germany on its only international tv/radio station at least...(german taxpayers pay for it)

she only made a minor mistake in my opinion... no reason to fire her. she said that china did more than any other political power in the world to realize article 3 of the universal declaration of human rights. which is bullshit.
article 3 is about the right to live, the right for freedom and the right for security.
but i guess she meant another article, as she was adding that there were huge successful efforts against poverty. this was of course not mentioned by the 2 newspapers which started a campaign...

[dissident77]

i've read some stuff from her and don't see why she should be a propaganda mouthpiece for the CCP. ok there was one falun gong member who said she only criticizes trivial things and doesn't talk about the important issues.
but i also saw quotes where she criticizes human rights abuses in china and how a lawyer was treated.
i really don't understand what made the "deutsche welle" fire her. maybe it was revenge for the blocking of their website at the beginning of the olympic games... now they replace her with a china basher or so :P

[Mirolyuba]

No, they replace her with a journalist.

And she is clearly not that.

[dissident77]

yea she's not. but she was a editor for "deutsche welle" for 14 years. and after that she was leading the chinese section there.

so she wasn't fired because she didn't do a good job, but because the station got under pressure.
thanks to 2 stupid newspapers who sense a scandal and a idiotic politician who sees the chance to make a incompetent comment so we know he still exists... actually that dude would better fit to china than to germany. with all his surveillance and data collection big brother crap...

anyway the "deutsche welle" is a station which intends to represent germany in the world. what she recently said doesn't exactly represent germany. but that's no reason to fire anyone...
most germans don't receive the station btw. its primary target audience are you foreigners :) i only receive it since 3 weeks via iptv...

[Mirolyuba]

So now the Red Guard Apologists will scream "bias" or "revenge" because someone on the staff at a "biased Western media outlet" (for fourteen years, no less) goes too far and starts advocating for the CCP.

How can they be "biased" against the CCP when an important member of their staff is obviously pro-CCP?

Her real problem is that arguing in favour of tyranny, dictatorship, censorship and political violence is in EXTREMELY poor taste in a country that has suffered so much from the effects of tyranny, dictatorship, censorship and political violence.

She is letting her lust for becoming one of the opressors of the Chinese people twist her judgement----but I am sure she will be handsomely rewarded for her loyalty by the criminal regime!

She will be RICH now, when she goes back to China!
Happy endings for all the criminals and their friends in China!

[Zsari]

This just shows how some values the freedom of speech and freedom of press. Obviously all the criticism of China's lack of "freedom" is merely an excuse as always.

[Free Radical]

Zsari wrote:

This just shows how some values the freedom of speech and freedom of press. Obviously all the criticism of China's lack of "freedom" is merely an excuse as always.

This has nothing to do with the freedom of the press. She was a hack mouthpiece for the CCP. While that flies in China, such mindless propaganda-spouting makes you a bad journalist in the west. She lost her job because she was bad at it. We expect our journalists to think and do good research, not parrot mindless drivel.

[Two Cents]

True freedom of speech allows those who disagree with you the right to speak. Obviously in this case, DW is not practicing freedom of speech. They therefore have no right to ever criticize China about freedom of speech. He who lives in a glass house should not throw stone.

[dissident77]

they have the right to speak. but the company has also has the right to fire employees who don't bring the expected performance.
but it is also her right to take the issue to a court and try to force the company to give her a job again.
if they don't, there are other places where she can work and say what she wants.

try it in china.

[Zsari]

Free Radical wrote:

<quoted text>
This has nothing to do with the freedom of the press. She was a hack mouthpiece for the CCP. While that flies in China, such mindless propaganda-spouting makes you a bad journalist in the west. She lost her job because she was bad at it. We expect our journalists to think and do good research, not parrot mindless drivel.

Yet another person who doesn't know what freedom of press stands for.

[Zsari]

dissident77 wrote:

they have the right to speak. but the company has also has the right to fire employees who don't bring the expected performance.

And her performance is not the cause of the firing here, isn't it? What did you say about the station, wasn't it government funded media outlet?

[LOL]

dissident77 wrote:

they have the right to speak. but the company has also has the right to fire employees who don't bring the expected performance.
but it is also her right to take the issue to a court and try to force the company to give her a job again.
if they don't, there are other places where she can work and say what she wants.
try it in china.

So when China do it, its suppression of "freedom of speech", but when western country doit its "upholding Employer rights". Am I understanding what you said correctly?

[Zsari]

Try it in China what? There are so many positive reports of all things western on the Chinese media, it's enough to make "tom sellek' to say enough is enough. Lol.

[Two Cents]

Zsari wrote:

<quoted text>
And her performance is not the cause of the firing here, isn't it? What did you say about the station, wasn't it government funded media outlet?

Deutsche Welle is a government funded propaganda media outlet, similar to Voice of America. In addition to radio and TV, it also operate websites in 30 languages.

[dissident77]

Zsari wrote:

<quoted text>
And her performance is not the cause of the firing here, isn't it? What did you say about the station, wasn't it government funded media outlet?

no, it is funded by the german taxpayer (there is a special tax to fund free tv stations without advertisements). that's a difference. politicians are not allowed to influence those stations.